Ancient history of the city
THAT THERE were cities or towns in Britain,
Cæsar acknowledges in great measure, in his commentaires, by comparing the frequency of their buildings to those of the Gauls, who, it is known, had at
that time many towns (fn. 1) throughout their country; (fn. 2)
and although they might not be such as our writers
feign and describe to have been built with strong
walls, towers, and gates, yet they were at least such as
they might conveniently dwell together within, defend themselves from the incursions of the enemy,
and carry on their traffic with advantage; and such
as these Cæsar acknowledges to have found here. (fn. 3)
THE FIRST MENTION we have of this city, by
name, is in Ptolemy's Geography of Britain, who lived
in the reigns of the Roman emperors, Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius, and wrote it in the Greek
language. He says, in the most eastern part of Britain, are the Cantri, and among them these towns,
[poleis Londinion, Darouenon, Routepiai], that is, Londinium, Daruenum, and Rutupiæ. The second of which is certainly
meant for this city of Canterbury. (fn. 4) Antoninus, in his
Itinerary of Britain, writes it, Durovernum, and places
it as one of the Roman stations or forts, (fn. 5) situated on
one of their grand military roads, from the furthest
part of Britain, through London hither, (fn. 6) and so on
north-eastward, ad Portum Ritupis, or Richborough,
xii miles. From this station of Durovernum likewise
ran two other military roads, the greatest parts of
which are still visible; the one eastward from Ridingate over Barham Downs, ad Portum Dubris, or Dover, xvi miles, still called the Watling-street road;
and the other from Worthgate, south-south-eastward, over the road, called Stone-street way, ad Portum Lemanis, or Limne, xvi miles. (fn. 7) In Peutinger's
Table, written about the time of Theodosius the
Great, it is called by the same name, and the mark
of a considerable town, as Canterbury was in those
times, is set to this station; and this is all the geographical notice taken of this city, in the time of the
Romans.
It has been the opinion of some, that after the deseat of the Britons, on their encounter with the Romans, the very morning after Cæsar's arrival on his
second expedition into this country, Durovernum or
Canterbury, was taken (and might possibly be kept
till Cæsar's return) by the 7th legion. It might afterwards be converted into a station, as they treated several other towns of the Britons, as Camulodunum,
Verulamium, Isurium, and others of the capital ones, of
the several states. (fn. 8)
THE SAXONS accustomed themselves to take their
chief residence, or villa regia, on the spot where these
Roman stations had once been; in consequence of
which, this place, as has been already observed, was
esteemed by them the head, or chief city of the kingdom of Kent, and the king's residence, villa regia;
hence it is stiled by Bede, the chief city of king Ethelbert, and by another writer, the head of the empire;
and although that monarch about the year 596, quitted his residence in it in favor to St. Augustine, and it
remained no longer a royal residence, yet it still retained its consequence of being the chief city of the
kingdom of Kent, and became soon afterwards, in
preference of all others, the metropolitical city of
Britain, to which, and its two superb monasteries,
munisicently endowed, and held in high reputation
for their riches as well as sanctity, it in great measure
owed the whole of its future eminence and prosperity. But these circumstances, at the same time,
made it the continued object of rapine and plunder,
on every foreign invasion and domestic war; besides
which, from the more than ordinary quantity of timber in the several buildings, and the closeness with
which they were throughout the whole built together,
it was continually subject to the calamity of fires.
Being situated at no great distance from the two
islands of Thanet and Shepey, the usual places of
landing, as well as the usual winter abode of those
merciless pirates, the Danes, this city twice felt the
misfortune of so near a neighbourhood to them; for
in the year 851 they landed with a great army from
350 ships, and wasted it, Ceolnoth being then archbishop; (fn. 9) and again in 1009, in the time of autumn,
another army of the Danes, innumerable, came to
Sandwich, and thence to Canterbury, which they
had taken immediately, had not the citizens, by giving a large sum, in time, obtained their peace, which
having done, these plunderers immediately departed
and sailed for the Isle of Wight; (fn. 10) but in the year
1011, when these banditti having over-run and wasted
all Kent again, laid siege to it, and having entirely
surrounded it, provisions in it falling short, and great
part of the city being burnt, they took it by assault,
on the 20th day, when rushing impetuously over every
part of it, they set fire to the remainder of the town,
and the church and priory of the Holy Trinity, having first plundered them of all their valuables, the
abbey of St. Augustine being alone left standing, and
then massacred the inhabitants without distinction of
age, religion, or sex; for having decimated them, out
of the number of near 8000, there remained alive only
four monks, and scarce eight hundred of the inferior
class of people. But the archbishop Alphege, (whom
they afterwards murdered at Greenwich), Godwin,
bishop of Rochester, Leofryne, abbess of St. Mildred, and Alfward, the king's bailiff, with others
both monks and clergy, men as well as women, they
carried away prisoners with them. A horrid spectacle,
says the antient historian in his relation of this event,
to the beholder; the face of an antient and most
beautiful city all brought to ashes; the dead bodies
of the citizens, who had been either murdered by the
sword, cast into the fire, hung up, or thrown headlong
from the walls, strewed thick about the streets and
roads, dying both soil and river black with blood; to
which might be added, the weeping and howling of
the captive women and of children, led away with the
venerable archbishop in fetters, (fn. 11)
Lambarde, whose account is somewhat different, (fn. 12)
says, that there were left alive here, of the monks
four, and of the lay-people 4800; by which it appears, that this city and the adjoining country (the
people of which had probably fled hither for succour)
was at that time very populous, having to lose on
this account 43,200 persons; on which account there
were some, who affirmed it had then more store of
buildings than London itself; and indeed it seems
that they must have been very rich here, for but two
years before they had, by the advice of Siricius, then
archbishop, bought their peace with the Danes, at
the enormous price of 30,000 pounds in ready money. (fn. 13) Besides these misfortunes, various have been
the times in which this place has suffered by the calamity of fires. The first of which that I find noticed,
is by the author of the additions to the Chronicle of
Asserus Menevensis, who SAYS, that about the year
754 it was much wasted by fire. In the year 776 it
is said to have been burnt down; (fn. 14) again in the year
918, Ælfleda, the mighty lady of Mercia, besieging
and burning the city itself, spoiled, killed and drove
out the Danes, who then possessed it; in revenge for
which they afterwards, about the reign of king Ethelred, anno 1011, besieged and burnt the city, (fn. 15) as has
been mentioned above; and yet, notwithstanding
these misfortunes, Stow says, that at the time of the
conquest, it exceeded London in its buildings. (fn. 16)
In the time of archbishop Lanfranc, who came to
the see in 1070, the church, then dedicated to the
Holy Trinity, was consumed by fire, as was almost
the whole of the city in king Henry II.'s reign, anno
1161. (fn. 17) Not long after which, in the year 1174, a
dreadful fire broke out here, the rapidity of which was
increased by an amazing great storm of wind, by which
great part of this city, with most of the churches was
destroyed, and at last the church of the Holy Trinity
itself was wholly burnt down. (fn. 18) Again in 1180, another fire happened, by which the city was much damaged; (fn. 19) and in the year 1247, St. Mildred's church,
with great part of the city, was again destroyed by
fire; (fn. 20) notwithstanding all which calamities, through
favor of the several kings of this realm, particularly
in having by the statute of the 27th year of king
Edward III. the staple of wool appointed at it, (fn. 21)
and by the patronage of the several archbishops, (fn. 22) being in general their most frequented residence; the
advantages arising to it from the number of religious
houses in it, especially its cathedral, from the shrine
of St. Thomas Becket in it, which from its reputation
of sanctity, brought hither multitudes of pilgrims and
devotees of all ranks, with whom the town was almost
daily crowded; the frequent meetings of kings,
princes, and noble personages here, as well of our own
as of foreign countries, and from its being the great
thoroughfare to the continent, it still recovered from
time to time from its misfortunes, with still further
improvements. The beauty of its situation certainly
contributed not a little to this. William of Malmsbury, who wrote in the reign of king Stephen, accordingly describes it as a city, which, though of moderate size, was yet famous for its good situation, the
richness of the neighbouring soil, the entireness of the
walls inclosing it, although it had so often experienced
the mischances of war, its convenience of water and
wood, and its abundance of fish, by reason of its
nearness to the sea. (fn. 23)
Besides the magnificent foundations of the priory
of the Holy Trinity, or Christ-church, and of St. Augustine, here were five priories, nine hospitals, and
other smaller endowments, such as chantries, and the
like; all which will be further mentioned in their
proper places.
Till king Edward IV.'s reign, this city seems to
have remained unpaved; but the bad state, it was
then in, was such, that it was become a nuisance, not
only to all those who reforted hither, but to the inhabitants themselves; which obliged the mayor and
commonalty of it to petition the king, for power to
pave the principal streets of it; in consequence of
which, an act of parliament passed in the 17th year of
of that reign (fn. 24) to give them a power and authority
to do it, at the expence of the inhabitants residing
in them. (fn. 25)
LELAND, who wrote in king Henry VIII.'s reign,
gives this description of the city, in his Itinerary, as
it remained in his time.
"The town of Cantorbyri," says he, "ys waulled,
and hath v gates, thus named, Westgate, Northgate,
Burgate, now cawlled Mihelsgate, St. George's gate,
Rider's gate; the which John Broker, mayr of the
town, did so diminisch, that now cartes cannot for
lownes passe thorough yt. Worthegate, the which
leadeth to a streate cawlled Stone Street, and so to
Billirca, now Curtopstreat. In the towne be xiiii paroche chyrches, and the cathedral chyrch of blak
monkes. Without the walles ther be iii paroche
chyrches. The monastery of S. Augustine, blak
monkes: S. Gregories, blak chanons: Monasterium
S. Sepulchri, ubi olim Templarii, postea sacreæ virgines,
The hospital of S. John, of men and women of the
fundation of the bishops of Canterbury. The hospital
of S.Laurence, for women alone of the fundation of
the abbates of S.Augustine. An hospital within the
town on Kinge's bridge, for poore pylgrems and way
faring men. Zenodochium Pauperum sacerdotum. Zenodochiolum quoque minorum intra muros fundatoribus urbanis. Cænobia fratrum intra urbem videlicet dominicanorum, Augustinensium Franciscanorum.
And a little further,
"Cantorbiry,"
"for the most part of the towne stondeth on the farther side of the river Sture, the which by a probable
conjecture, I suppose, was cawlled in the Britans
tyme, Avona. For the Romayn cawlled Canterbury,
Duravernum corruptely. For of Dor and Avona, we
shuld rather say, Doravona, or Doravonum. The river yn one place runneth thorough the cite walle, the which
is made there with ii or iii ar-
ches for the curse of the streme.
Canterburyys v
myles from the fe
flast north agaynst
Heron.
Lanfrance and Sudbury, the which was hedded by
Fakke Strawe, were great repayrers of the cite. Sudbury builded the Westgate, and made new and reparied to gither fro thens to the north gate, and wolde
have done lykewise abowt al the town, yf he had
lyved. The mayr of the town and aldermen, ons a
yere cum solemply to his tumbe,
to pray for his sowle, yn memory
of his good deade. The most
auncyent building of the towne
appereth yn the castel, and at
Ryder's gate, wher appere long
Briton brikes, with out the town
at St. Pancrace's chapel, and at
St.Martine's, appere also Briton
brikes. Ther hath bene sum
strong fortres by the castel, wher as now the eminent
dungen hill risith.
Many yeres sins
men soute
for treasor, at a place
cauled the Dungen, wher Barnhales house is now,
and ther yn digging, thei found a
corse colsed yn
leade.
"The water of Stur breketh a lytle above Cantorbiri, into ii armes, of the one cummeth be West gate,
and the other thorough the cyte, under S. Thomas
hospitale, and meteth agayne yn the botom; beneth
the cyte, a this side . . . . . ford, being half a . . . . (fn. 26)
THUS FAR LELAND—who makes no mention of
any appearance of decay or poverty in this city, in his
time; and indeed I have been induced to belive
from every historian I have met with, that, till the
suppression of its religious foundations, (fn. 27) and the removal of Becket's shrine from hence, Canterbury continued in wealth and prosperity; and I know of but
one authority to the contrary, which perhaps might
have been exaggerated to forward the purpose of it:
this is the preamble to the act of parliament, passed
in the 6th year of the above reign, (fn. 28) for the improvement of the river Stour, and rendering it navigable
up to the city; in which it is recited, that this city
was one of the antient cities of the realm, and that
through it there had been, and then was great recourse of ambassadors and other strangers from the
parts of beyond the sea; where likewise the bodies of
the holy confessor, and bishop St. Austin, the apostle
of England, and also many other holy saints had been
honourably humate and shrined; (fn. 29) was then of late in
great ruin and decay, and the in habitants thereof impoverished, and many great mansions in it desolate;
which ruin, decay and desolation, could not of like be
reformed, or amended, unless the said should be
so rendered navigable as above-mentioned.